"First, we will appeal to remain open. We are deeply disappointed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education's decision not to approve our charter's appeal, effective Jan. 15, 2014. We remain dedicated to putting kids first, and we'll continue to remain by our students' and staff's side to the very end. That is why we will appeal the Charter Appeal Board's decision to keep our school open. During this appeals process, we believe students deserve a consistent and safe educational environment, without disruption. Students and their families should not be ripped from a stable school environment with little to no time to prepare for a smooth transition as we appeal to remain open."

Check back for updates throughout the day.

Previously reported: The York City School District will prepare for potentially hundreds of students returning to the district after the state charter appeal board ruled that New Hope Academy Charter School must close Jan. 15.

The state appeal board on Tuesday upheld the York City School Board's 2012 decision not to renew New Hope's charter. The school, which opened in 2007, has about 815 students, 90 percent of whom are from York City, and 100 employees, according to Isiah Anderson, the founder of New Hope and managing officer of 3Cord Inc., the school's management company.

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Before the appeal board's unanimous vote, acting education secretary Carolyn Dumaresq cited three reasons New Hope should lose its charter: that the school has failed to meet student performance requirements as set out in law and its charter; that it violated several provisions of its charter, including its admissions policy and the filing of financial interest statements; and that there have been "numerous fiduciary violations" by the board of trustees and school operators.

She didn't provide specifics. But New Hope didn't meet annual progress targets on state reading and math test and was recently named a "priority school" by the state.

Anderson said he was stunned and thinks the appeal board "got it wrong."

One of New Hope's challenges, he said, is that the students come to the school behind and then it's "a bit of an uphill battle" in terms of academics.

"It's always a moving target for us. We thought that would be considered," he said.

He said school officials didn't think the three reasons cited by the appeal board were "material enough" to close the school.

But York City School Board President Margie Orr said the appeal board's decision is what the district had hoped for. She said she wants to "move forward with the district and get these kids back so they can get their education that they so rightly deserve."

The city district, which is required to pay New Hope for each student that attends, has been working to address its own challenges. Through a financial recovery plan required by the state, the district has established goals for improving student performance. Over time, if the goals aren't met, schools could be turned over to outside operators.

She said that for her, the biggest reason for wanting New Hope to close is that students weren't getting the "proper education" they should. In addition, she said, the school's financial ties with companies owned by Anderson were "not acceptable."

In addition to 3Cord, Anderson owns the real estate company from which New Hope leases its building. 3Cord also manages Challenge Academy, an alternative education program where New Hope has sent students.

Orr said she hopes parents of New Hope students can understand the decision and come together to get the district "back to where it was, where it can be."

What's next

Tim Eller, spokesman for the state education department, said a more detailed written decision will be issued in several days. Once that happens, there's a 30-day window for a party to appeal to Commonwealth Court.

He said the school will have to coordinate with the school district to transfer students back to the district or to other charter schools. The department will work with the charter school, too, Eller said, to ensure there isn't an interruption of the students' education.

Anderson said that school officials hadn't discussed the possibility of a court appeal much. In a recent case, the court allowed a school to stay open during appeal.

He said the school will have to explain options to parents. It's a difficult situation, he said, and the school will have to "kind of hold our staff together" for the next couple of months.

Orr said the school district received permission from the state education department to reopen Hannah Penn Middle School, which was closed in 2012, if it is needed. She said the district will have a lot of work to do to prepare, and that she didn't have many details yet.

York City School Board member Jane Hines, who attended the appeal board meeting, said the district has a good solid plan in place. Even if 700 or 800 students return, she said, "that plan is strong enough to take care of all of those students."

If students return, she said, the district will have more financial resources to provide more programs and more support for students.

Charter law sets out a per-student tuition rate that districts must pay for students who attend charter schools. York City School district pays millions to charter schools each year.

Contact Angie Mason at 771-2048.

Parents react

Some parents of New Hope Academy Charter School students were dismayed by a state board's ruling that New Hope Academy's charter should not be renewed.

Heather Alderson, of York, enrolled her daughter, Hollie Emich, in fifth grade at New Hope this year. She said Hollie used to make excuses to try to get out of going to school, but she hasn't had that problem anymore. Hollie made the distinguished honor roll at New Hope.

"She enjoys going to school now," Alderson said.

Alderson said she might move from the city before January, when the school would close, or she might consider cyber schooling Hollie.

Tracy Landis said she pulled her autistic son from Dover schools when he was in eighth grade to attend New Hope, where he is now a sophomore. She said New Hope staff give him time and attention, and he made more progress in a couple months than he had in years.

She accused the city of trying to hold New Hope to standards the district itself isn't meeting. She hopes the charter school appeals to court.

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